1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a proportioning dispenser for proportioning at least two components in an adjustable ratio.
2. Description of Related Art
From EP 0 755 721 A2 and DE 198 18 434, a proportioning dispenser is known, wherein the mixing ratio of two pasty or liquid fluid components may be adjusted continuously. Such a proportioning dispenser may, for example, in a particularly advantageous manner be used as a sun lotion dispenser for mixing two sun lotion components having sun protection factors of 1 and 25, for example, so that the sun protection factor may be adjusted continuously in the range from 1 to 25. This novel proportioning dispenser constitutes a considerable convenience to the consumer as he may choose the sun protection factor depending on the isolation and the degree of the skin""s adaptation, while no more having to carry along several containers with different sun protection factors. The subject matter of DE 198 18 434 represents a further development of the proportioning dispenser disclosed in EP 0 755 721 A2, wherein due to a particular design of the cartridges and the pump arrangement a reduction of the axial length of the proportioning dispenser becomes possible.
In the solutions proposed in EP 0 755 721 A2 and in DE 198 18 434, the proportioning dispenser includes two pumps each having associated a replaceable cartridge, wherein a respective type of sun lotion (sun protection factor 1 or 25, for example) is contained. The pumps are actuated by means of two eccentric levers which are operatively connected with a pump head or nozzle head mounted in a housing of the proportioning dispenser and actuated by the consumer.
The adjustment of the mixing ratio is effected by adjusting the stroke of the pump plunger. The pumps are mounted pivotally with the lever length of the eccentric lever acting on the pump being adjustable. This lever length is determined by the distance between the pivotal mount and the point of application of the pump head on the eccentric lever. The adjustment is effected by means of a cam disc connected with the turning knob, the cam guide of which guides two cam follower pins of a guide bracket. The latter encompasses the two pumps so as to ensure their simultaneous rotation. The pivoting motion of the pumps is made possible by a ball joint.
Concerning further details of this proportioning dispenser, reference is made of DE 198 18 434.4, the disclosure of which is fully incorporated herewith by way of reference.
The known proportioning dispensers have proved their worth in practice, however, they still have the defect in the detail that the adjustment mechanism for adjusting the mixing ratio has a comparably complicated design. The requirement of the two cartridges having to be pivotably mounted in the ball joints is comparably complicated and expensive.
As against that, the object underlying the invention is to provide a proportioning dispenser having an adjusting mechanism for the individual pumps and being simple in its construction and reliable as to its operation.
This object is achieved by a proportioning dispenser with at least two components each accommodated in an accommodating compartment, pump means in communication with each of the accommodating compartments and a dispenser nozzle for discharging the components. The proportioning dispenser also has an adjustment means operationally connected to the pump means that adjusts the quantitative portion of the components. The adjustment means comprises a pivotable transmission member which indirectly or directly contacts the pump means for the operation thereof. The transmission member has a pivoting axle which can be adjusted with respect to the pump so that the displacement value of the pump can be adjusted in response to the relative position of the pivoting axis.
According to the invention, the actuation of the pump units is performed by a pivotable or displaceable transmission member the pivoting axle of which can be displaced relative to the operating members of the pump unitxe2x80x94for example the displacers. Thus, it is made possible to change the point of application of the transmission member at the pump units and thus their stroke by changing the position of the pivoting axle relative to the pump units. The position of the pivoting axle relative to the pump units is in this case selected to effect a change in the opposite direction, such that only the proportioning ratio of different components relative to one another is adjusted while the complete capacity preferably remains essentially constant. It is also conceivable, however, to adjust the complete displacement volume by adjusting the pivoting axle. Both components can be dispensed in a mixed or unmixed condition.
The solution according to the invention has an essentially simpler design as compared to the proportioning dispensers described at the beginning, as the pump units do not have to be articulated in the housing anymore, so that the number of movable components is reduced. Due to the upright arrangement of the pump units, the proportioning dispenser can be designed in a manner essentially more compact than the construction described above.
Principally, two equivalent alternatives for adjusting the pivoting axle are available. First of all, the pivoting axle can be embodied at the transmission member, so that the adjustment of the stroke is performed by the rotation or displacement of the transmission member and the pivoting axle. As an alternative, the transmission member can be stationarily accommodated in the housing while the pivoting axle supporting the transmission element is rotated or displaced.
By means of the adjustment of the pivoting axle with respect to the pump units, the transmission member practically performs a wobbling with respect to the pump units during the adjustment operation, with the point of application of the transmission member on the pump units being changed with respect to the pivoting axle.
In both variants, the transmission member is biased with an end section against the pump units in an appropriate manner, while a section of the transmission member spaced apart is mounted in the housing via the pivoting axle. The pivoting axle can be mounted or fixed in a rotatable or displaceable part of the housing.
It is particularly advantageous for the pivoting axle to be accomodated in a rotatable housing head of the proportioning dispenser.
According to the invention, the transmission member preferably has a plate-shaped, disk-shaped or annular design.
In particular in the variant where the pivoting axle can be rotated together with the housing head, the housing head is preferred to comprise an opening spaced apart from the axle of rotation through which a section of the transmission member extends. Thereby, in a simple manner a handle for pivoting the transmission member is provided.
In this embodiment, it is particularly advantageous for the dispenser nozzle to be arranged diametrally to the handle.
In the prior art described at the beginning, the components had to be conveyed to the mixing chamber via tube connections due to the pivotability of the pump units. In contrast, the concept according to the invention makes it possible to design the outlet and inlet valves associated to the pump units in chambers which are connected with the pump units via solid housing channel. In this case, it is preferred for the outlet valves of the pump units, to end in a common outlet chamber while the inlet valves arranged between the pump unit and the accommodation compartment each are arranged in a separate inlet chamber.
The proportioning dispenser can be designed in a particularly compact manner with a short axial length if the above mentioned chambers are arranged in the region between the pump units, so that the mixture can be dispensed from the common outlet chamber for example centrally.
In the variant in which the transmission member is stationarily accommodated in the pump housing and the pivoting axle is rotated or displaced with respect to the transmission member, the displacers of the pump units, for example the plungers of a reciprocating pump, can be connected with the transmission member such that the latter forms at least a part of the outlet chamber. That is, in this variant, the transmission member is designed as a hollow body in which optionally the outlet valves of the individual pump units are arranged. The mixture can then be centrally withdrawn from the transmission member.
The pump units can be embodied as reciprocating pump, as bellows pump or in another construction.
Depending on the viscosity of the components, the accommodating compartments can be embodied by cartridges (as in the prior art described at the beginning), as bag or as bottle with an integrated suction tube. The latter variant can be used in a particularly advantageous manner for liquid media.
In special applications, it can be advantageous for the accommodating compartments, for example the cartridges, to be axially displacably mounted in the housing and for the adjustable transmission member to act on the accommodating compartments, so that the operation of the pump units is effected via the displaceable cartridges. That is, in this embodiment, the displacers of the pump units are stationarily accomodated in the housing while the cylinders limiting the displacer rooms together with the displacers communicate with the axially displaceable accommodating compartments, so that by displacing the accommodating compartments an enlargement or a reduction in size, respectively, of the displacer room is effected. This variant practically represents a kinematic reversal of the conventional operating principle with movable displacers.
Other advantageous further developments of the invention are the subject matter of the further subclaims.